City · Beadle County, South Dakota

Huron, South Dakota

Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, part of the Huron, SD metro area. It has 14,385 residents. Huron, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 57 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #6,715 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #62 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), drug overdose deaths (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on pharmacies (low), preventable hospital stays (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

57Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #6,715 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #62 of 75 in SD
Population: 14,385 (2020-2024)
Land area: 10 mi²
Density: 1,461.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 4631060

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety63#5,810/15,637
Economy32#10,673/15,631
Housing88#1,743/14,977
Health53#7,304/15,609
Healthcare19#12,646/15,650
Environment89#1,650/15,453
Education27#11,408/15,649
Infrastructure44#8,828/15,650
Community56#6,832/15,651
Leisure & amenities75#3,879/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Huron, South Dakota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Beadle County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Average commute time · low11.9 min
100/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100South Dakota 8.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataBeadle County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.5 µg/m³
98/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBeadle County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low100 min
96/100South Dakota 115 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesBeadle County value
Rent-burdened households · low41.2%
96/100South Dakota 39.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Grocery stores · high3.1 /10k
95/100South Dakota 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBeadle County value

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100South Dakota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBeadle County value
Preventable hospital stays · high4,908 /100k
2/100South Dakota 2,787 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBeadle County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high187 mi
3/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBeadle County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100South Dakota 18.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBeadle County value
Math scores · low2.55
6/100South Dakota 2.98United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBeadle County value
New business applications · low7.9 /1k
6/100South Dakota 12.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauBeadle County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
13,282 (2015-2019) → 14,385 (2020-2024)
+8.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
69.6% (2015-2019) → 89.1% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
8.2 /1k (2021) → 0.5 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−94%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
30.2% (2015-2019) → 16.3% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
28.2% (2015-2019) → 41.2% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
18.2% (2015-2019) → 27.0% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Huron, South Dakota improved on 5 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 5 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved5

Property tax−0.5 points1.63% → 1.16%
Child poverty−14 points30.2% → 16.3%
Broadband+20 points69.6% → 89.1%
Bachelor's++8.8 points18.2% → 27.0%
Household income+33%$46,106 → $61,452

Declined3

Inequality+0.0640.405 → 0.469
Rent / income+6 points21.8% → 27.8%
Price / income+0.6×2.0× → 2.6×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Huron, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.9 min2015-2019	11.9 min2020-2024	−2.0 min	Within the margin of error	71%
Bachelor's degree or higher	18.2%2015-2019	27.0%2020-2024	+8.8 points	Improved	86%
Broadband subscriptions	69.6%2015-2019	89.1%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	30.2%2015-2019	16.3%2020-2024	−14 points	Improved	88%
Effective property tax rate	1.63%2015-2019	1.16%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	89%
High school diploma or higher	81.3%2015-2019	85.2%2020-2024	+3.9 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.6×	Declined	42%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4052015-2019	0.4692020-2024	+0.064	Declined	11%
Median household income	$46,1062015-2019	$61,4522020-2024	+33%	Improved	62%
Poverty rate	19.7%2015-2019	16.1%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Rent as share of income	21.8%2015-2019	27.8%2020-2024	+6 points	Declined	18%
Rent-burdened households	28.2%2015-2019	41.2%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.6%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	51%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Huron, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Huron, South Dakota in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Huron, South Dakota itself moved −4.2 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

14,385 residents (±34)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,584 households (±215)

Huron, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k21%1,165
$25k–50k21%1,199
$50k–75k16%869

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,584 households (±215)

Huron, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own68%3,813
Rent32%1,771

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+10.0 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

6,934 workers (±345)

Huron, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone75%5,193
Carpool12%†831
Public transit0.1%†

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Huron, SD

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Beadle County, the county holding most of Huron's residents.

Beadle County has 573 employer establishments, 297 for every 10,000 residents (1.20× the US rate of 248; 0.94× South Dakota's), with 6,840 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,538. The Census Bureau also counts 1,186 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 573; 1,186 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 297; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 6,840
Average annual pay: $48,538; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Beadle County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	40	20.7	1.34×More than typical	163	$65,736	100
Restaurants and other eating places	29	15	0.82×About typical	366	$20,049	6
Religious organizations	26	13.5	2.43×More than typical	128	$20,414	—
Ambulatory health care services	25	13	0.62×Fewer than typical	249	$50,739	27
Automotive repair and maintenance	25	13	2.57×More than typical	90	$45,767	25
Truck transportation	25	13	2.56×More than typical	159	$58,491	62
Lessors of real estate	22	11.4	0.93×About typical	69	$27,145	138
Insurance agencies and brokerages	18	9.3	2.12×More than typical	91	$72,912	33
Services to buildings and dwellings	17	8.8	1.31×More than typical	75	$39,427	87
Banks and credit unions	16	8.3	2.57×More than typical	241	$75,959	—
Building equipment contractors	16	8.3	1.38×More than typical	82	$71,756	17
Gasoline stations	15	7.8	2.40×More than typical	156	$27,686	—

Rank places for an industry Open Beadle County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 19,294 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $74.1K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Huron, South Dakota: $5.15 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $74.1K; −32% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5.15; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 35%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Energy$43.7K59%
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$9,86413%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$9,36413%
Public Buildings Service$7,91211%
Federal Aviation Administration$2,8593.9%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$4020.5%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

597.2KFY2017
249.6KFY2018
195.8KFY2019
96.8KFY2020
138.4KFY2021
83.7KFY2022
289.3KFY2023
147.2K

Top industries (NAICS)

Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services · 5412$24.8K34%
Management, scientific, and technical consulting services · 5416$20.1K27%
Administration of economic programs · 9261$9,36413%
Facilities support services · 5612$7,91211%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$7,2489.8%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Huron, South Dakota, so they do not add up across cities.

Huron, South Dakota's figures are part of those of Beadle County, SD ($2.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.9% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Huron is mostly in Beadle County.

See federal money in Beadle County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Huron, South Dakota is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Dusty JohnsonR-SD · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 4.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Beadle County73100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Huron, SD73

Other cities and towns in Beadle County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4631060

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends